Covenant of the Arc
by Shadowsouls0
Summary: Possibilities: Limitless, infinite, commonplace. In our world, each possibility can only occur once... in the Shroud, however... it's another story. Jaune learns this the hard way as he's forced into a deadly game of cat and mouse. Where he's both the cat, AND the mouse. How does this make sense? It doesn't... then again, not much in the Shroud does either. Let the games begin.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Awakening

"Where are we going, mister?"

I looked down at the kid, giving him a slight smile, trying to quell the rage that consumed me for it. He had those same eyes, that same hair, everything about him looked _just_ like his father… it made the regret so much less. Thankfully ten-year-olds weren't that hard to trick. "We're going to see your sister. I know a shortcut." I said simply, turning back and walking along the dirt path. I couldn't help but notice the small spark of guilt that formed in my chest, it was a very, _very_ small one granted, but it was there. He was just so innocent and trusting… just like his old man used to be… okay, guilt gone, back to hatred.

We walked for a few minutes before I finally saw what I was looking for. No one really knew what it was -locals always called it 'The Pit'- but for my intents and purposes, it was _perfect_. I walked towards the edge of it, over to the point I was right next to the safety railing. The little blond boy walked up with me, his hands just reaching up and grabbing the edge of the high rail, his chin just perched on the side. I stepped back, feeling my hands trembling, heart pounding… I knew what had to happen. "Can you see okay?" I asked. The boy just shook his head, turning around to face me. I walked over, holding out my own hands, giving the most disarming smile I could. "Well here, let me give you a closer -LOOK!" I yelled, ripping him off the ground and tossing him over the edge.

The shocked silence turned into a scream a few moments later, a high pitched wail that gradually turned into a whisper, and then… silence. Deafening, silence. " _They say this hole leads to the pits of hell…_ " I thought, frowning slightly before I turned, walking back towards my own home in the distance.

" _Don't worry boy, your papa will meet you down there soon enough._ "

…

" _Awaken child._ "

Jaune slowly opened his eyes, groaning as he sat up, looking around. Mostly, it was pure darkness, a shroud of shadows surrounding him -barring what looked to be a few blueish-green crystals on the walls. " _Am I dead?_ " he thought, slowly standing up on shaky knees. " _That man he… he threw me off the edge. That fall… shouldn't it have killed me?_ " he thought, looking around at his new surroundings. He reached out a hand to feel the cold, smooth walls around him. As he did so, he found one of the crystals simply came off in his palm. He held it up, "Is this… dust?" he muttered… it didn't look like any dust _he'd_ seen before but -then again- Jaune wasn't exactly a _connoisseur_ of the stuff now was he?

" _Follow them._ "

There it was again. That same, strange voice. It felt… oddly reassuring to Jaune. Like a warm blanket on a cold night… yet at the same time, so oddly foreboding, like a dark storm cloud on the horizon. He looked around, seeing that in one direction there was only darkness, yet in the other, there were those strange, light-making crystals. He followed them, palming a few of them and holding them near the ground to find that -sure enough- they were in fact what was making the light, not simply reflecting it off another source. He kept walking, more crystals appearing as if my presence turned them on -like flipping a light switch.

It took a few minutes of walking, palming a few more crystals until he could actually see the floor of this strange place. The ground had strange swirls in it in places, large cracks in others. It was so strange to see… yet, something was oddly familiar about… well, _everything_. The crystals, the voice, the cracks and swirls on the stone. " _Why can't I remember where these things come from?_ " he thought.

" _Most can't remember this place Jaune._ "

He nearly dropped the crystals in his hand, holding them out and looking in all directions. He'd heard it, so loud and crisp and clear like the voice was his own… yet there was nothing to see. Behind him, the crystals faded into a long, distant path behind, back to the place he had awoken. Turning back ahead, he saw only the crystals before him and the ones in his palms. Seeing no other choice -and against his better judgment- he kept walking ahead, more crystals appearing. Those crystals seemed to get large and large the longer he walked, higher and higher up the walls they seemed to go. The crystals in his hands weren't even needed to see the ground anymore. He kept walking down the path, the walls themselves being revealed to him.

More of those strange markings, long cracks made into the masonry no doubt to keep it in place at one point. Yet unlike the floor -which was _clearly_ stone- the walls were… different. Jaune couldn't say _why_ but, something about the walls felt… off. They _looked_ just like the floor -minus the crystals of course- yet for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to call them 'stone'. It just… didn't fit. He turned back ahead, continuing to walk forward in the seemingly endless tunnel… until -inevitably- there was it's end.

That 'end' was actually two large doors, stretching up an unknowable height with the crystals. You could only really tell they were _doors_ by the large line down the center and the two rings parallel to each other. Otherwise, they looked just like the walls. Jaune held out a hand, shoving against the door to find it only moving slightly. " _Use both hands Jaune, they're not exactly LIGHT._ " that same voice said, the source of it still hidden. Jaune nodded -assuming they could see him somehow- and set the crystals on the ground, pushing open the left door. After a few hard pushes, the door sprung loose, a loud grinding against the stone ground as the strange door came open. He gathered the crystals again and started walking.

 _This_ place… what was it about _this_ place that was so strangely familiar? Jaune could see the same walls all around with what looked to be a giant crystal chandelier hanging from the roof, suspended by… well, he couldn't _actually_ see it but, he assumed it was suspended by _something_. Along the walls there were countless small chambers, holes made in the shapes of odd figures and forms. One seemed to be a human outline, the one next to it a not-so-human one. Yet these strange sights paled in comparison to the strangest of all: What lay in it's center.

Jaune had to hold tight to the crystals in his hands to keep his light source from falling, his eyes wide as he drank in the sight before him. Within the center of the room, there was a hole, maybe as large as the one he was thrown into, maybe even _larger_. That hole, however, seemed clasped around a large figure within, a figure whose spindly body stretched towards the ceiling of the strange place. Along it's body were more of the crystals that Jaune held -but they had traded their comforting blue-green tint for a deep, pulsing red. Arms of incalculable number spread out from the beast's body, slamming into the walls around it, two of them reaching up above into the shadows of the roof -assumingly where it's head lay.

Jaune took a few tentative steps closer, walking around the side to see that the hole -much like the one he'd seen earlier- held railings around it. Though, these railings seemed more as if the floor were raised around the beast, large blocks of stone up to Jaune's neck surrounding it. Each one bore a symbol, one that glowed with the same comforting glow of the crystals he held in trembling hands. He stepped around, finding only a single break in the wall, towards the very center of the beast's hands. He saw those long arms in a clearer light now, made of stone like some grotesque art display. Of the crystals only one was truly pulsing, the others merely reflecting it's central light. The pulsing crystal -however- held one more surprise.

A blade.

That blade was long and white, a gilded hilt covered in a strange blue cloth. Strangest of all was the pommel, which held yet another crystal. This one -oddly enough- glowed a stark white color. The blade was stabbed deep into the crystals, long cracks of a brilliant white light spewing from the crystal. Jaune slowly walked forward, trying to ignore that strange, fuzzy sense at the back of his head. He didn't know what it was -unfortunately- otherwise he may have listened to it and left while he still could.

" _Please… get it out of me._ "

Jaune's eyes widened as he looked up, seeing the crystals on the outside slowly starting to glow themselves, yet of a strangely bluish color. He recognized that color, he should. After all, it was the same one he saw every time he looked himself in the eye in a mirror. He couldn't tell, but the crystals would fade every time he'd blink, as if mimicking him. Jaune slowly walked forward, looking up towards the ceiling to see only darkness above a certain point -assumingly the point where the creature's body entered the actual earth above it. He laid down his crystals, reaching up and slowly tapping on the sword.

The moment he did, he heard it. A high, inhuman screech resonated through the chamber. Jaune turned, his eyes widening as I saw strange, bipedal creatures jump from some of the nearby holes, brilliant blood-red eyes opening as faded gray tongues slipped between their bright white teeth, gazing towards the young child. Angry. Hungry. Jaune stood there, frozen as he watched the beasts rushing towards him, only to stop as they got closer. " _Remove the blade, NOW! I cannot hold them forever!_ " he heard that voice say in his head once again. He turned -deciding it was either trust a strange voice or be left to the wolves -literally- and gripped the blade in both hands. The harder he pulled the louder the screeching became, the more the wolves seemed to close in. He could feel their hot breath on his neck as he scrambled with the blade, trying to remove it.

Then at last, it fell.

Jaune closed his eyes as he saw the bright white light shine out from within the crystal, beaming around the room as the strange, wolf-like creatures were turned to ash. When Jaune finally opened his eyes, they widened as he saw something. The large, stone arms of the statue… they were _moving_. They were slowly moving around, padding along the ground and pulling themselves towards the strange, stone-block barricade around their torso. Jaune saw them sweeping them away, hitting against the walls with the distinctive shattering noise all too reminiscent of glass. When he turned back, he saw that the crystals now all glowed with that deep, blood-red color, all slowly lowering as the creature seemed to fall deeper into the hole.

Then six eyes faced Jaune's.

He saw the face of the large creature, a black skull pulled back towards the roof, six crystals so dark they seemed to be holes into another existence gazing down at him. It's mouth beneath it was a strange set of pinchers, clacking together when it spoke. "You. Saved. Me." It said. It spoke slow, as if it were the first time it had spoken in it's long dormancy. Jaune backed away, gripping tight to the blade as he leaned against a nearby block of stone. "Seems more like you saved me." he said. He should've been terrified. Frightened. Ready to piss his pants… yet strangely, he felt calm. This disturbing beast made him feel… calm. It was more ferocious than any grimm his father had ever told him stories of yet… here he was… calm as he was in his own mother's arms.

The beast slowly looked around, it's eyes flashing blue in time with the crystals that surrounded it. "The seal… broken. You… destroyed?" it asked, it's voice a deep base against the young Jaune's higher soprano. He stood, his confidence growing slightly as he shrugged, giving the beast a faint smile. "I don't know… is that what taking out the sword did?" he asked. The beast shut it's eyes, a low clicking noise coming from it -as if it were humming in thought. When it's eyes opened, they were a strange, sea-foam green color, rather than the blood-red. It seemed as if the pain it had felt had finally dispelled, allowing it to show it's pleasure.

"How… here?" it asked. It took Jaune a moment to realize what the beast meant -what with the way it only used half the normal amount of words he did. Though, after a moment, he frowned, "I was… thrown down here. A man said he was a friend of my fathers, taking me to see my sister… then he threw me into the pit." he said, looking at the ground. Why? He'd never even _met_ the man, what reason did he have to throw him in the pit of all places? He was ten years old for Oum's sake! What _could_ he have done besides maybe steal his candy of something!? The beast rumbled again, it's eyes turning red once more as the chamber around it shook. Jaune took a guess that the red meant "VERY ANGRY".

"This place… once sacred… tainted with blood… RAAAAAAGGGHH!" the beast roared, it's roar shaking the room as rocks began to tumble from above, it's arms reaching up and slamming into the ceiling. Jaune covered his head as he felt the small rocks falling. "Wait! Calm down! Please!" Jaune yelled, reaching out a hand towards the enraged beast. It turned, panting as it lowered it's arms, it's eyes flashing that same seafoam green once more. It reached one of it's hands over, laying it next to the platform Jaune was on. Jaune looked towards the beast, only seeing it's pinchers clacking together in what he took as approval. He clutched the sword in one hand, gently climbing onto the creatures hand as he felt himself lifted up above.

He saw himself face to face with the beast, it's head leaned in so he could see them. "What… are you?" it asked, it's voice becoming softer, more gentle. Jaune wasn't sure of the reason -maybe because he'd ask them to calm down- but nonetheless, he wasn't one to look a gift-horse in the mouth. "I'm… Jaune Arc. Well, I mean, I'm _human_ but, Jaune Arc is my name." he said, the first seeds of uncertainty planted in his mind. While the creature made him feel calm, the rational part of his mind still told him to be afraid. Though the irrational part was slowly winning out, he couldn't help but grasp the blade tighter. It _did_ seem to hurt them after all.

The creature slowly nodded, blinking as if to coincide with it. One of it's many arms reached up, holding out a single, large claw towards the young boy. "Not the first… others came… they built these walls… some hid with me… others fell to _him_." it said, it's claw gently moving around Jaune, as if trying to touch him without hurting him. Jaune looked up, raising an eyebrow at the strangely gentle giant before him. "Who is _him_?" he asked. The creature slowly blinked, it's eyes turning purple for a split second before reverting to their normal seafoam green again, it's pinchers clicking a few times. "The end. He ends all… when the cycle ends… he destroys." it said, it's pinchers clacking together a few more times.

Jaune reached over, lightly grabbing the smooth, hard claw of the beast. "What about you? Who are you?" he asked, giving a slight smile towards them. He didn't know if it was the calm aura it produced, or just him getting used to them, but for some reason the longer he talked with the creature, the less danger he felt himself in. They blinked, their eyes orange as Jaune could _feel_ the questioning in their voice. "My… name? Humans… they can't say… my name well… it is… too much for them." they said, leaning back slightly as they pulled their claw backward, moving forward the softer part of their hand next to Jaune. Jaune sat down, leaning back and smiling as he felt the strange warm palm of the beast's hand. "Theeeen what do I call you?" he asked. The creature shut it's eyes for awhile, as if contemplating it's answer. Jaune was three seconds from asking again when it spoke.

"Some call me… Mother of Lost."

"Wait… you're a girl?" Jaune asked, raising an eyebrow at the large beast. From the way it… er, she, spoke, the voice seemed more akin to that of a mans. It reminded him of his father in a weird way… and his mother a bit too now that he thought of it… and his sisters… and his next-door neighbor Kindle… wow, it's voice was _really_ familiar. Mother of Lost nodded, "Yes… this form is not most… appealing, is it?" she asked, gently laying Jaune back on the ground. Jaune was about to ask what she was doing when he saw the crystals on her chest start glowing, his eyes closing as the whole cavern was lit up by a familiar light around them. A brilliant light behind his eyes as he covered them both with his hands, dropping the blade to the ground.

When he opened them again, his eyes widened as he saw Mother of Lost walking towards him. She'd changed into what looked to be a young woman -maybe his mother's age- with brilliant green eyes and long, black hair that flowed down almost to her waist. Her flesh was swathed in what appeared to be a long, silk garment, flowing to her ankles. She walked towards Jaune -who stood at her waist- and smiled down at him. "A much more… fitting, form for humans." she said. Jaune nodded, holding out his hand and allowing the newly formed woman to help him to his feet, pointing at the blade.

"That blade… a seal. It's yours now." she said, smiling at him. Jaune grabbed the blade, looking back towards the woman to see that -when she shifted her shoulders slightly- that the only trace of her real form as the crystals in her chest, only one of which was glowing with that green light. He reached up, Mother of Lost leaning down and watching as Jaune gently tapped her crystal. It felt just like the ones he'd picked up -if a little more cracked- strangely smooth and soft for a rock. She held out a hand, grabbing Jaune's and giving a small smile. "Do you want to play?" she asked, her smile and eyes one Jaune had seen only on his mother once before.

He nodded, "Sure… what should we do?" he asked. The woman stood, striding past him as Jaune followed in her footsteps, careful not to trip on her cape as the two walked towards one of the nearby holes. She held out a hand, a small orb of soft, green light flying from it and hitting against the wall. Jaune's eyes widened as he dashed over, the orb dashing away from him. "Get back here!" Jaune said, dashing around and chasing the small ball. All the while Mother of Lost only giggled, flicking her hand about and -while keeping him away from the edge- watched the boy dash after the small orb. When he eventually caught it, she just snapped, both Jaune and the orb flying back to her, Jaune hanging from his arms.

She smiled at him, making the orb vanish as she created more of them, Jaune still chasing after it each time. When he caught them, he would always be whisked back over to the Mother of Lost, giving a bright smile, hug, and the offer to try again. They'd been at it for awhile when Jaune finally stopped, turning and frowning at the woman. "I… I like playing with you but, I need to go home." he said, fighting down the strange urge he felt to stay here. It was no doubt that same urge that had calmed him earlier, now replaced with a different task. Mother of Lost frowned, "I see… forgive me for not letting you go. It's… been so long… trapped here so long… so cold, so dark…" she said, more of those lights appearing around her as if to ward off the darkness.

Jaune frowned for a moment… then a smile lit up his face, "Why don't you come with me?" he asked. The woman looked up at him, her eyes widening at what he was suggesting. He was… seriously suggesting… _knowing_ what her true form looked like… to come with him? To come to the world of humans? She smiled, "A nice thought… but I cannot leave this place… this world is my home… not Remnant. Unless…" she slowly frowned, looking at the boy with a careful glance, as if analyzing a complex equation, and Jaune was the answer. She smiled, getting on one knee and holding out a hand, cringing as she quickly handed the blade to Jaune.

"I cannot leave… but you can. What if… you take part of me with you?" she asked. Jaune raised an eyebrow… what kind of sense did that make? Did she mean take a lock of her hair? An arm? One of her eyes? One of her crystals? At his confused expression, the mother smiled, "What is your greatest dream, Jaune?" she asked. Jaune's expression grew only more confused. It was like she was talking in circles, never really answering his questions. Though, what his greatest dream was? Jaune knew without a _doubt_. "To be hero! A huntsman!" he said. The small frown on the woman's face flashed by too quickly for Jaune to notice. She only nodded, grasping a hand around her crystal as she felt it's warm glow.

"I will make you a hero, Jaune Arc. I will make you a huntsman. Give me your hand." she said, holding out her other hand. Jaune was confused -to say the least- but gave her his hand regardless. She moved her own hand, letting hers enwrap her crystal as he too felt the comforting warmth. The mother smiled, "And so I forge a covenant. You will be my hero, Jaune Arc. You will be my champion." she said, shutting her eyes. Jaune felt his own eyes widen as he looked down, seeing the floor beneath them getting smaller and smaller as they rose. He looked up, his eyes widening as he saw the mother above him, her body turning into that same bright light that came from her crystal, flowing down over him, washing him in that strange light.

" _And so we return together… Jaune Arc._ "

…

"What just happened?"

Jaune muttered, slowly opening his eyes. He sat up, feeling a cold, metal sense against his back as he turned around. He stood, eyes wide as he saw that familiar, massive pit behind him, the rusty metal against his back. He looked around, finding nothing was out of the ordinary… he looked down at himself, examining every part of him… nothing. It was as if the whole ordeal had just been a massive dream… was it? " _Did I… did I dream all of that? I… something had to have happened, right?_ " he thought as he walked around, _not_ willing to risk jumping back in there when it seemed the woman had come out with him. If it had happened at all. He stood, looking around at the swaying forests around him, the whispering winds flowing through them.

"Jaune!? Are you out here!?"

He turned, his eyes wide and a smile on his face as he heard the familiar voice of his older sister Jasmine. He dashed ahead, running down the hill and through the branches until he saw his sister in the distance… then he stopped. His eyes widened as he saw himself running towards her, stopping just nearby. Same brown shirt, same jeans, same messy blond hair, same blue eyes, same _everything_! It was like he was in two places at once! He saw Jasmine sigh, walking towards him, " _There_ you are! We've been worried _sick_ since we got that crazy guy in prison, where have you _been_! We've been looking for hours!" she said, her face flush with both worry and relief.

The Jaune standing there didn't answer, but only flexed a finger down towards him, a small smile on his face. Jasmine seemed to bite, leaning in closer… then Jaune noticed it. The grass around his copy, the wall every bit of it was decayed and faded, the way all of the grass around that seemed to either be forcing itself away from the wilt or slowly succumbing to it. It didn't even feel like he was himself when he burst out of the shrubbery, "DON'T TOUCH HIM!" He yelled, yet his voice nearly stopped him. A strange mix of his own youthful pitch and a deep, mature pitch of a woman. He had no time to question it though, as the other half turned towards him, smirking. Jaune saw the eyes flash red for a moment, a forked tongue slipping out. He stopped, Jasmine backing away, drawing a small knife from her belt as she saw both Jaune's emerge. The other Jaune smirked, " **So… he found you too?** " the voice was deep an malicious, nothing like the one Jaune had. Jaune didn't even have to ask who it was, Mother of Lost answered him.

" _I was afraid of this... Jaune, that's the Child of Decay's Champion._ "


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two: Champions and Vassals

" _The first seal is broken…_ "

A single voice rang out among the denizens of the shroud. Every patron, every devourer, every god and demon and devil, every soldier and civilian, every entity and every vassal. All heard the calling. All have sensed it. The strong raise their hands, doors and cracks and shifts opening around them to pull them into the human world as chaos began to break free. Soldiers and civilians alike trampled over one another to reach the opened gates and cracks away from their home. The shroud hungered. The shroud grew anxious. It sought them out, and they had answered. Yet one remained unmoved, still… waiting. They stood near a rift to the other side, simply watching as many entered the realm, so many of them falling to the unfamiliar environment.

"So foolish, aren't they?"

The being turned, watching as the tall figure approached them. Brilliant red orbs gazed down through the rift, watching with an unconstrained glee at the destruction and death of his fellow shroud dwellers. A smile sprung to his face, forked tongue sliding between needle-like teeth to wrap around their lips, before slipping back inside. The first being turned back, "What do you want, Veles?" she asked, gazing at the larger creature. He had already entered his human state, which could mean only one thing: He'd found a vassal. He despised his own human form, always staying in a form mortals would liken more to a storm-cloud than a person. Veles only laughed, "Nothing, Desire. I want nothing at all. Except to watch and observe… until, of course, my champion arrives."

"You forged a covenant?"

This was… not at _all_ what Desire had expected. Veles was so unpredictable that some mortals had taken to calling him the 'god of discord', who in their right mind would be his _champion_? Desire turned, her eyes widening as the rift shifted slightly, turning the familiar red of Veles's aura. It shifted over, changing to view a young girl -no older than ten- casually walking through the forest. They looked… odd, to say the least. One of their eyes was a brilliant blue, the other a dull red. Half their hair was blonde, the other pink. They wore bright socks (one pink and one orange) with dull gray shoes, striped green and yellow pants with a lime green shirt. They were casually strolling about the woods, spinning around and occasionally saying something. " _That girl… he really DOES have a champion… and he's changed her so fast…_ " she thought. She was right of course,

After all, a champion of discord can hardly be orderly now can they?

Veles stepped through the rift, leaving Desire to gaze on as he strode up to the young girl. She gave him a smile before holding out her hand. As they shook hands, Desire saw the familiar change of one becoming a champion, his body turning to light before fading into the girl. Desire shifted the rift back over to the many dying shroud dwellers, keeping her eye on those who lived. Even as she did, she couldn't help but think of Veles and his 'champion'. One thought permeated the ancient woman's mind:

" _The world is NOT ready… no matter what the End says._ "

…

" _Uhh… what am I supposed to do!?_ "

Jaune thought as he stared down… himself. He slowly started stepping back as the other him stepped forward, tongue flicking out as the grass beneath him began to die even more, his sister slowly looking between the two. " _Whatever you do, DON'T get close to him. He'll drain life from whatever he touches._ " Mother of Lost said, just as Jaune backed up against a tree. It seemed as if the Child of Decay had lost the subtlety of a moment prior, the radius of death surrounding them only growing larger as they sped up, their mouth and eyes widening into an insane grimace. Jasmine looked between the two, conflicted. On one hand, both of them _looked_ just like her brother. On the other, one of them was _literally_ killing everything they touched. "Jaune… run. Go!" she yelled, looking at the one _not_ killing anything.

Jaune locked eyes with her before he smiled, dashing over to her before spinning around, looking towards the Child of Decay, who'd just placed his hand on -and subsequently killed- the tree Jaune was leaning against moments ago. " _Isn't there something we can do!?_ " Jaune thought, hoping the Mother of Lost would answer him. If she did, Jaune was too focused on what happened next to hear her. He saw the Child of Decay's Jaune leaping for him, his sister pushing him out of the way. Jaune's eyes widened as he saw his sister closing hers, putting herself between the two Jaune's.

Then Mother of Lost gave her answer.

Jaune felt his body move of its own accord, pushing his sister out of the way before grabbing the other Jaune's hands. He felt a strange, burning sensation for a moment before a strange, cold relief flowed into his hands. The other Jaune's eyes turned bright red as he looked down, trying to pull away. Mother of Lost wouldn't let them, a grip of steel as a deep, blue-green light spread from one Jaune's hands to the others, sending cracks through his arms as pieces of not only his shirt sleeves but also his _skin_ began to flake off, revealing a deep, purplish miasma beneath. It reached the being's elbows when the other Jaune took one heavy leap back, leaving its arms in the real Jaune's hands.

Child of Decay's Jaune screamed in agony, the miasma flowing down into some semblance of arms as it glared at Jaune and Jasmine, its eyes bright red and it's teeth suddenly that of a beowolf's. " **You will pay! You will-** "

 **BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!**

Jaune saw his own face and torso filled with holes, more miasma leaking out as pieces of its flesh fell to the ground, jerking movements of a dying beast gazing at the two. Jaune -suddenly back in control- looked over, seeing his sister holding the smoking revolver that had done it, reloading it with the cold gaze of a professional. She looked down at the Jaune she knew was her brother, giving him a faint smile. "We gotta talk… _after_ , we deal with this copycat." she said turning back and firing three more shots, all hitting the retreating Jaune's leg, knocking it off to the ground. Strands of miasma tried to reconnect the two as Jaune and Jasmine walked towards him, the Jaune spinning around, revealing the miasma that had taken over him. " _Jaune, place your hand on his chest._ " Jaune heard the Mother of Lost say.

Jaune raised an eyebrow, " _But you said-_ " " _I know what I said, just trust me._ " she interrupted. Jaune looked down, feeling that same strange, calming feeling he'd started associating with the woman coming back to him, calming him down as he walked over, slowly lowering his hand to his own chest. " **Don't… you… daaaaaareeee…** " the Child of Decay said, slowly closing its eyes as that same light from before leaped from Jaune's hand, slowly traveling down his double's body, destroying the miasma and flesh wherever it went. A few seconds later, and the only evidence there had ever been a Child of Decay version of Jaune was the nine bullet's that had fallen to the ground, the same ones his sister had fired. Jaune picked them up, barely thinking as he offered them to Jasmine.

Jasmine took them, only to subsequently throw them as far as she could. " _Just in case…_ " she thought, not wanting to take anything the creature had touched with her… except for her baby brother of course. She took her revolver, spinning it back around her finger into its knife state before sheathing it, leaning down to be at her brother's height. "Thanks, Sis." Jaune said, smiling at his sister without even thinking. Jasmine smiled, unable to resist her little brother's cute smile as she leaned forward, trapping him in a hug. Jaune hugged back of course, only for his eyes to widen as he was effortlessly picked up off the ground, hoisted into his sister's arms before he was moved around, suddenly riding on her back.

"We'll talk about… whatever _that_ was, when we get home. Mom'll get more and more worried the longer she can't see us." Jasmine said, starting the walk back towards her home. All the while she couldn't help but think… how the heck was she supposed to explain what just happened? _Another_ Jaune that could cause the death of most things around him, being killed by the _real_ (assumingly) Jaune by placing his hands on his chest and causing some weird light-thing to destroy it? She honestly might be better off not even _telling_ her mother what had happened. Of course, her mother would want to know. And if her mother wanted to know something, she'd find out.

Oh, _she'd_ find out.

As the two (three if you counted Mother of Lost) walked down the paths, Jaune leaned against his sister's neck, his eyes closing as he felt a wave of tiredness hit him. He wasn't sure _why_ , he was _wide-awake_ just a few seconds ago… it was just getting so… so… hard… think… " _Just rest Jaune… I'll protect you._ " he heard the calming voice of Mother of Lost say, the last thing he heard before the small snores started, his grip going lax against his sister. Jasmine -meanwhile- looked back, smiling as she saw her brother's face set in a content sleep, a few quiet snores coming from him. That is until she felt him start moving again. Her eyes widened as Jaune opened his eyes, only to reveal them to not be the brilliant blue hues of his father, but rather two strange, sea-foam green orbs.

Jasmine's eyes widened as she dropped Jaune, said child effortlessly landing and jumping back to their feet, smiling at Jasmine. The girl turned, looking down at her baby brother as her hand slowly, guiltily, reached for her knife. "It's okay… I'm not here to harm you." Mother of Lost said, her voice projecting from Jaune as he held up his hands. Jasmine stepped back, fighting down the sense of calm forming in the back of her heard, focusing instead on the real instincts that _something_ was wrong with this in her gut. Unfortunately for Mother of Lost, the middle child of the Arc family wasn't one to think with her head, but rather her gut. Her calming aura wouldn't help her with this one.

"Who are you, and what have you done with my brother!?" Jasmine asked, drawing her knife, spinning it back into its revolver state before quickly reloading. Mother of Lost kept Jaune's hands up, still smiling as she tried to reach the headstrong young woman with her aura. "He's still here. He forged a covenant with me, and so I protect him." she said, hoping to reach the girl's defensive instincts. Sure enough, this new tactic seemed to work a bit better, if Jasmine slightly lowering her gun was anything to go by. "What… what _are_ you exactly? What was that thing earlier? Some kind of Grimm?" she asked, still aiming the gun at Jaune. Albeit now she was _far_ more relaxed than a mere moment ago.

Mother of Lost shook Jaune's head, "Nothing as simple as that. He was a patron of the Shroud, just as I." she said. Jasmine lowered her gun, keeping it at her side as she traded all her paranoia for confusion. What was this… thing, inside her brother's body talking about? Mother of Lost smiled, "We have long since faded from the collective memory of mankind… I am unsurprised you do not know of me." she said, keeping that smile on Jaune's face as he sat down, leaning against a nearby tree. Jaune reached over, picking up what looked to be a small stick, fallen from the tree. In front of the disbelieving eyes of Jasmine, the small twig began to turn green, bright leaves slowly sprouting from it, roots growing from the bottom. Jaune set the twig down, the dirt giving way before swallowing up the roots.

"The beast earlier _was_ Jaune, but not a champion as mine is. No, rather a vassal, conquered by the Child of Decay and forced to do his bidding in this realm… until we stopped him, of course." she said, Jaune gesturing to Jasmine's gun. Jasmine slowly nodded, crouching down once again to look her brother in the eyes. In the strange, bright green eyes… somehow both gorgeous, ugly, and mesmerizing… could just… Jaune looked away. "Don't look directly into my eyes. Many forget themselves in their gaze." Mother of Lost said, feeling a slight spark of guilt. For her, time was nothing. A thousand years was simply another second added to her eternal life… it'd happened far too many times that she'd gazed in a staring contest with a mortal, only for them to fall over dead from dehydration before she'd realized how much time had passed.

Jasmine nodded, looking down at her brother's chest instead, at the pumpkin Pete logo on his shirt. "What exactly is a… what did you call it? 'Patron of the Shroud'? Is that right?" she asked. Her eyes flicked up to her brother's forehead as he nodded, giving her a smile before her eyes flicked down to the familiar rabbit head. "Yes. A patron of the Shroud… think of us as… benefactors. We forge a covenant with willing mortals, who in turn become our champions. They receive our protection… at a price, for most." she said, adding the phrase at the last second. Jasmine caught this, giving a slight glare towards the… woman? Her brother? It was hard to tell what to _call_ the strange creature in front of her sometimes. It _looked_ like her brother, but sounded like her mother… and herself… and her sisters -okay we've been through this gag already, let's move on. "What kind of price?" Jasmine asked.

"It always depends on the patron. Sometimes it's simply a weapon they desire. Sometimes it's to live in service to them after you die. Sometimes it's even your soul or your body." Mother of Lost said, frowning as she thought of the many, _many_ children who were no doubt trapped into contracts they were unprepared for, the amount that didn't get as lucky as her Jaune did by finding her. "So… what did you charge Jaune?" Jasmine asked, feeling the first spikes of panic hit her… if her brother had effectively sold his soul… oh no… that was… not good. _NOT GOOD_. Though, some relief came when Jaune's head shook, a smile forming as he gazed at Jasmine.

"Nothing. I'd been sealed in the shroud for eons. Jaune freed me, and so I agreed to make him my champion, and offer my protection for the rest of his mortal life." Mother of Lost explained, shutting Jaune's eyes. Jasmine looked up, finally able to look at her brother's face again, watching as his eyes opened, revealing the familiar blue orbs she'd grown used to. "His whole life… isn't that a long time to commit to someone?" she asked. Jaune smiled, slowly standing up as his sister did the same, the boy holding out his hand and grabbing hers. She raised an eyebrow, eyes slowly widening as he leaned down, lightly kissing her hand. She felt… strange. Watching her hand… she saw it softening. The calluses from her long hours of training fading away, her skin becoming as smooth and soft as Jaune's own hands.

"For a Mother, _no_ time is too long to be with her child."

At that Jaune blinked a few times, looking around for a moment before looking back to his sister. "Are we going home sis?" now it was his voice that leaped from his mouth. Jasmine looked down at him -more than a little bewildered at what she'd heard. She blinked a few times before she nodded, leaning down and hoisting Jaune onto her back, dashing towards their house. She didn't want to keep her mother waiting any longer than she had to. As she ran, she couldn't help but think… wonder… " _Is this… should I tell mom? Dad? ANYONE? Would anyone even BELIEVE me? Am I dreaming? What's… none of this makes sense…_ " thoughts kept going in circles in her head until she finally saw it. The modest house near the edge of town, the gates nearby made to keep out the Grimm, and the dirt path leading up to the actual building.

She fished in her pocket for a key, pulling open the gates and locking them behind her before starting the trek up the hill. She looked back, giving a faint smile as she saw Jaune's eyes closed again, leaning against her shoulder… she knew he wasn't asleep. Her brother never was good at pretending to… do really anything come to think of it. As she approached the house, she heard the loud stomping of feet, accompanied by the quiet pitter-patter of smaller feet, all the while a loud -yet still somewhat gentle- female voice was giving commands like a drill sergeant yelling at recruits. Jasmine stopped at the door, somewhat hesitant to go in. She knew what awaited her and -more importantly- what awaited Jaune. She looked back, her eyes gazing down her baby brother's (not) sleeping face once again before she sighed, opening the door.

"JASMINE! DID YOU-"

June Arc cut herself off, her eyes widening as they trailed back. Over her second eldest daughter's jeans and brilliant yellow shirt with the brown holster, she saw the peaceful face of her son, her baby, her Jaune. "JAUNE!" she yelled, tossing whatever it was she was holding (thankfully her husband was used to catching flying objects by now) off to the side before dashing to her son. Jasmine had expected this, turning around and letting her mother rip Jaune off her back (luckily he hadn't accidentally taken her shirt with him this time) before smothering him in a hug. June didn't say any _real_ words in the span of maybe five minutes. Simply content to cry tears of joy, shouting seemingly meaningless praises as she showered Jaune in more attention than he would ever ask for himself.

Eventually, Jonathan had to step in, patting his wife on the shoulder a few times. June looked over at her taller husband, at the face not at all dissimilar to the boy held in her arms. She saw his easy smile and knew exactly what he wanted. "I know… let's figure out what happened first." she said simply. Jonathan nodded, smiling at his wife before she set Jaune down, the boy having been (if he'd actually been asleep to begin with) very much awakened by his mother's loud cries of joy at having her son back. Jonathan laid a hand on Jaune's shoulder -something Jaune could much more get behind than the lavish gesture of his mother. Without saying a word Jonathan guided the three into the living room, seating Jaune between his parents on the couch as six of the Arc sisters gathered round, knowing their dad's signal to be quiet.

"Jaune… where have you been for the past few hours?" Jonathan asked, figuring to start off slowly. He was relieved his son was here of course -and not buried in a shallow grave by that crazy guy that'd tried to kill him earlier- but he still wanted some answers. Jaune looked up at him, his eyes slowly trailing over to Jasmine before turning back up to his father's. "I… I don't know. I was going to visit Saffron when that one guy from the hospital said he'd take me to her." he said. Jonathan and his wife's face paled, June's arms -which hadn't left their position of being wrapped around Jaune since he'd arrived- only held tighter as she heard that. They knew who he was talking about. "And um… where, exactly, did he take you?" he asked.

"He took me past… umm, that one big hole… I forget what it's called… he said he knew a shortcut. Then-" "I found them." Jasmine interrupted, standing up and walking next to her mother. Jaune looked up at her, his eyes sparkling in understanding as he nodded, giving her a faint smile. Jonathan motioned Jaune to continued, but Jaune simply deferred to Jasmine. "I was on a walk through the woods when I saw Jaune with that one guy. I tried to confront him… little bit- sorry mom, I know. Coward dropped a gas bomb before I could stop him. My aura protected me but, Jaune was out for a while. I took him up to Saffron to make sure nothing was wrong." she finished, knowing her mom was about to berate her for nearly swearing in front of Jaune, Indigo, and Ora. Jasmine and Jaune understood well enough. Whatever _had_ happened to Jaune, wasn't something they could explain, let _alone_ something they should make well known. Even around the house.

Jaune nodded, "Oooooh, _that's_ why I woke up in a hospital bed!" Jaune said. Now, being one of the younger and more innocent members of the family (and being a bit of a mama's boy himself) had given Jaune _plenty_ of practice at using his childish appearance and innocent nature to his advantage. Now, was no exception. His mother and father shared a smile before looking at Jasmine. She knew the look from both of them, and _exactly_ what it meant: '"We need to talk.". June leaned down, planting another kiss on Jaune's cheek before she stood, her husband standing with her as Jaune walked over to Jasmine. "Well, I'm just glad you're both safe. Me and your father have some… things, to discuss." June said, her eyes flicking to her husband, his own flicking down to meet them. He understood.

The two turned away as Jasmine reached down, hoisting Jaune over her shoulder and taking him back to her room… which was also his room… and Indigo's room… and _Ora's_ room -the house only had three bedrooms alright? What did you expect? She guided him through the door, sitting down on her bed towards the corner and sitting him next to her. "Okay… Jaune, I don't know _what_ happened to you when that… _thing_ got into your head. What I _do_ know, is that it isn't something you should go flaunting around." she said. Jaune raised an eyebrow… _he_ couldn't think of any reason not to tell people about Mother of Lost. After all, she _had_ saved his life (twice now actually)… she couldn't be _that_ bad could she? "Why not?" he asked.

"Because… because…" Jasmine sighed, "Because, if you tell people you've got a little voice in your head, whispering what to do, they'll think you've lost it. They'll try and put you on a bunch of medication and therapy that might actually hurt you in the long run. Just… don't tell anyone, okay? I don't want you getting hurt… none of us do." she said, her eyes flicking towards the door as Indigo walked in. Jasmine leaned down, wrapping her arms around Jaune before she stood, "I've got to go talk with mom and dad, just remember what I said, okay?" she said, smiling at him from the doorway. Jaune just smiled and nodded right back at her. As Jasmine walked away, Indigo walked in. Indigo -fittingly enough- was the only Arc child younger than Jaune himself. The little blonde haired, blue eyed girl was clad in a pair of overalls with a plain white t-shirt, her little sun-hat pulled down almost over her eyes as she walked over to Jaune.

He smiled, "Hey Indigo, been working in the garden?" he asked, looking down at the five-year-old. She smiled right back up at him, leaping up onto the bed -suspended on the edge thanks to her short legs for a moment- before wrapping her arms around Jaune. "Yep! Mommy says my tomatoes will be ripe soon!" she said, her eyes positively beaming as she nuzzled against her brother's shoulder. Other than maybe his twin sister Ora, Indigo was _definitely_ the most clingy of the family, either flocking towards June, Jonathan or -in this case- Jaune. The older boy smiled, wrapping an arm around her before pulling the significantly smaller girl into his lap, rubbing a hand over her head. Almost like a cat, Indigo pushed further in, her face set in content as she leaned against Jaune's chest, rubbing against him in her strange, feline way.

Meanwhile, Jasmine regretted walking to her parents alone.

The reason, of course, was her father's propensity for lectures tended to come out without any of the younger children present. It was both a blessing and a curse to be the second oldest. Mom and Dad sure _listened_ more, but they also talked your ear off _while_ they were listening. She was leaning against her hand at the moment, struggling to keep her eyes open as her dad went over the third point in the fifth rendition of his lecture for a seventh time… until that is, her mother finally walked into the room. "Jonathan, you're boring her to death. Let me talk to her." she said, interrupting her father's grandiose speech. He nodded a few times, reluctantly leaving. He'd _almost_ finished lecturing her too… granted, he'd been 'almost finished' lecturing her for the better part of an hour.

As her husband left, mamma Arc took center stage, sitting down across from her daughter. "Honey, let's agree not to lie to each other, okay?" she said, feigning kindness as she showed genuine motherly love, smiling at the oldest Arc child in the house. Jasmine nodded, giving a faint (fake) smile, not buying it for a minute. She knew her mother. She might act sweet and innocent, but if you did something wrong she could be more vicious than _any_ Grimm could hope to be. June smiled, "Honey sometimes, we make mistakes… what's important, is that we _admit_ those mistakes. So we can learn from them." she said. Now Jasmine was just… well, _confused_. What 'mistakes' was she talking about? Her mother leaned back… Jasmine could sense it. She could sense the strike of the python about to make against her.

"Why did you lie to us?"

Jasmine raised an eyebrow… did her mother know? Already? It had only been… what? An hour? Her mother seemed to grow impatient with Jasmine trying to process the information. "I got off the phone with Saffron a few minutes ago… she hasn't seen you _or_ Jaune all day." she said. Jasmine's face paled… so _that_ was why she'd left when her father started talking. That meant… uh oh. "Dear, I understand. You wanted to make yourself seem like the hero… I get it. We _all_ do it sometimes… I want to know the truth… that's all. You're not in trouble, I just want to know." her mother said, setting back into that false disarming smile. Jasmine could sense the warrior instincts in her mother, cultivated from years of being a huntress before settling down to raise a family.

"I… I'm sorry. Mom I… I don't know what happened. I was walking around looking for Jaune and, I found him in the woods. He wasn't moving so, I went over. He… I don't know, maybe he fell asleep in the woods? I lied because I didn't think you'd _believe_ me if I told you the truth." she said. It was partially true. She _knew_ her mother wouldn't believe her if she told her what _really_ happened. Her mother stood, Jasmine frozen in place as June walked around, planting a kiss on her forehead. "It's okay. You and Jaune are safe, and that's what matters. Now go change and help me get dinner ready." she said, walking over and grabbing one (of ten) aprons hanging on the wall. Jasmine sat there for a minute, absolutely _stunned_. It _worked_!? That terrible, _terrible_ lie, had _worked_!? Against _her_ mother!? Eventually she stood, heading for her bedroom to change.

As she walked in the door, she couldn't help but smile at the scene that lay before her. That scene, was Jaune and Indigo. The baby of the Arc family had set her hat aside, curled up and seemingly settled down for a nap on Jaune's lap… oh hey, that rhymed. The girl had a content smile on her face as her hands curled into what was almost little paws, her legs curled beneath her as Jaune ran a hand down her blonde head of hair. When he sensed Jasmine, he only looked up, his right eye that sea-foam green orb and his left the familiar blue he was born with. He held up a finger, shushing her before she approached. Jasmine made no complaint, sitting down next to her brother and smiling at her adorable little sister.

A few minutes later, she turned to Jaune. "Who are you right now? Am I talking to Jaune or…" she trailed off, realizing that the creature Jaune had made a covenant with, had never really told her its name. Jaune looked at her, smiling as he shook his head. Though, after a second, they nodded. "Both, in a sense. Mother of Lost is speaking, but Jaune is still in control." she heard Jaune say, in a voice that was weirdly both his and Mother of Lost's. Jasmine slowly nodded, "That's your name? Mother of Lost… uhh, do you have a shorter one by chance? Cause I am _not_ calling you mother." she said, giving a slight glare at her brother/Mother of Lost. Jaune frowned, looking down at Indigo for a moment before he turned his head, the normal eye focusing on Indigo while the orb turned to Jasmine. "Very well. You may call me by my more ancient name: "

"Diana."


	3. The price of power

Chapter three: Time is a luxury, the Arc's are broke

"Professor Ozpin."

I looked up, raising an eyebrow as I saw Glynda walking towards me. She was clad -strangely- in what seemed to be a purple nightgown, her hair flowing to her shoulders. I turned to face her, sipping my coffee. If she was rushing up here without bothering to get dressed, something _very_ important must've happened. I gestured at the seat across from me, Glynda quickly sitting down and brushing her hair back into _some_ semblance of order. "Not that you walking in is ever unwelcome Glynda but, it _is_ almost three in the morning." I said, my eyes trailing down her. No injuries (not that anyone at Beacon would be stupid enough to challenge Glynda in the first place) so that ruled that out. I hadn't heard any explosions recently, so none of the students had done anything stupid yet. She shook her head, her eyes boring into me.

"It happened."

I raised an eyebrow, wondering what she was… "Oh… now?" I finally put it together. She nodded a few times, her hair going positively everywhere as she stood, walking around to the other side and pulling her scroll from her cleavage, laying it on the table. I looked over, watching as she pressed a few buttons, going to the camera feed in the emerald forest. Sure enough, I saw a crack in the ground, dark, black ooze seeping out. It seemed to be closing, as if whatever was inside had given up on trying to leave. Which -knowing what that crack was- wasn't incredibly surprising. "A small breach… hardly worth _worrying_ about don't you think?" I muttered, lightly gripping my cane, tapping it against the ground as Glynda set her scroll back.

"This isn't a small breach Ozpin, this is happening _everywhere_. It's not like the one from thirty years ago, this is an incursion on a mass scale… you know what that means don't you?" she said, leaning down onto the table, her eyes meeting mine. I just nodded, leaning back in my chair and grabbing my own scroll. I started dialing the familiar number, looking back at Glynda as it started ringing. "Diana's been freed… I'd hunt her down if the treaty didn't prevent it." I said, frowning as I dialed the number again, it having gone straight to voicemail. Normally he wouldn't miss a call twice. Sure enough, the second time I heard him answer. "Whattaya want? I'm trying to," he burped over the line, "Drink here!" he said.

"Qrow, the vassals have arrived. Take them in if you can, but take them out if you have to."

…

" _Almost home_."

Jasmine thought, leaning back against the wall of the airship. The now 21-year-old woman was _exhausted_ (and slightly hungover) after her graduation party last night. She was now a fully fledged huntress, a graduate of Haven academy. "Wonder how they're all doing…" she muttered, frowning as she looked out the window. The town looked just the same as it had four years ago, just before she'd left. She could still remember her younger sisters all running up to her, saying how much they'd miss her. She remembered Jaune walking over, one of his eyes flashing green as he and Diana both wished her good luck. " _Wonder how THAT mess is going anyway?_ " she thought. She hadn't kept in regular contact with her brother since she'd left (not counting the _many_ unopened letters he'd sent her), but as far as she knew, he was still keeping Diana a secret.

She was drawn from her thoughts by the airship shuddering, the doors opening as she and the other passengers slowly walked out, many being greeted by family and friends. Some of them were actually huntsmen she'd graduated with, coming home to see their families before their first mission. She started walking north, past the bakery at the corner, past the hospital, right towards that familiar dirt road that would lead out of town. As she was walking though, another person happened to be walking a different direction… around the corner of a building… you see where this is going.

"HEY! Watch where you're… going?" Jasmine said, her anger giving way to confusion as she saw the figure before her. It looked like… well, _her_. Sort of. They were dressed in a pair of jeans and a black hoodie, pulled down to reveal blond hair that stretched down well past their shoulders. When they looked at her, she saw brilliant blue eyes gazing up at her, ones that looked so… familiar. She couldn't point out what was so familiar about the… woman? Was it a woman? It was hard to tell given the hoodie and strange facial features, but it definitely did look like one. "Sorry," she said, in a voice that sounded pretty, but still strangely between male and female. "I… JASMINE!" she yelled, jumping up and wrapping her arms around the huntress.

The Arc raised an eyebrow, lightly patting the figure on their back. Did she know this girl? Was she one of her sister's friends or something? She pulled back, the girl smiling up at her. She couldn't be older than fourteen, at most. "Uh… hi there. Wow it's, it's been a _long_ time since I've seen you… hehe, took me a minute to recognize you." she said, _reeeeally_ hoping they wouldn't ask her to identify them. Luck (or misfortune, depending on how you looked at it) seemed to be on her side, the girl pulling back and grabbing her wrist, guiding her down the dirt road towards her home. "Yeah, a lot of people say that. If I put on a dress and let Indigo do my makeup you wouldn't be able to tell me and Ora apart!" she said, turning back ahead. That further confused Jasmine, whose mind was starting to work a mile-a-minute to try and figure out who this girl was. " _She talked about Indigo and Ora, so they're out. Too young to be Saffron, can't be the twins either… guess that leaves Lazuli, but… there's no WAY she could pull off being Ora. Could she?_ " she thought.

Jasmine just shrugged as the girl lead her down the hill, off towards her home. " _One way or another she's gonna ruin the surprise._ " she thought, having not told anyone she was coming home today. They were on the way up to the door when Jasmine pulled back, jerking the other girl back onto her. "Before we go in uh… can you get Jaune? I'd like to talk with him first." she said. The girl turned around, her face painted in confusion… then her shoulders sank, a sigh coming from her lips as she stood a bit straighter, closing her eyes. When she opened them again, all Jasmine saw were those seafoam green orbs. "I haven't been in control child. If you wish me to fetch him, you need only wait a moment." she heard Diana's voice say. Jasmine felt her brain suddenly short-circuit, all thoughts grinding to a halt.

"I… wah? Jaune -girl -hair -eyes -pretty… waaaaaahhh…" **(a/n- just picture Sun when Blake tells him which house is hers and you'll understand)** she said, staring at what was now revealed to be her brother, slack-jawed. Suddenly it came together, the brilliant blue eyes that were somehow so familiar, the black hoodie and jeans. All of them were trademarks of her little brother… yet she hadn't noticed a thing. Jaune blinked again, his blue eyes returning, his voice still with that strange, melodious, feminine tone to it. "I guess it _has_ been awhile… we grew up while you were away." he said, still smiling at his sister as he pulled his hair back over his shoulders, Jasmine's eyes trailing down her brother's face. How was it that it was almost completely smooth? Such soft skin she'd only ever seen on her sisters? "That's… that's not… I… why do you look like a _girl_?!" she asked, finding there was no way to be subtle about this.

Jaune looked behind him, gently taking his sister's hand and guiding her around the side of the house, near the back door. A place they might not be heard. He looked up through a nearby window, smiling when he saw the bedroom was empty. "Mother of Lost… err, Diana I guess is how you know her, told me my body would grow to better suit her so we could work better together. So… I guess that means I'm growing up to look like you." Jaune said, seemingly unable to take the smile off his face. _Especially_ at his sister's wide-eyed expression. Then again, he couldn't be _too_ hard on her. His other sisters and parents had grown up and watched him turning into this more feminine version of himself. Jasmine had left a developing but definitely _male_ Jaune, and come back to one that looked like just about any other of her sisters. He could understand her confusion.

She looked around, "Does… does anyone _else_ know about her? Or…" Jaune shook his head, giving a knowing smile to one of his many sisters. He'd taken her advice. For the four years she'd been gone, he'd kept Diana secret. Hidden away in his head. She let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. There was less chance her brother was going to get put on ten different kinds of pills and eight kinds of therapy like her uncle at least. Jaune turned, pulling her towards the back door before both of them stopped. He smiled, "Want to surprise them I'm guessing?" he asked. Jasmine only nodded. That _was_ the entire point of arriving unannounced, wasn't it?

Jaune nodded, winking at her before he gestured through the house, "Head to the front door, I'll get everyone in the living room." he said. She nodded, still trying to get used to that voice coming from her little brother's mouth. Or, for that matter, seeing this cute girly figure as her _brother_ at all. She dashed to the front door, ready to surprise her family with her return. Meanwhile, Jaune walked towards the living room, knocking on his siblings' doors along the way. "Everyone! Come to the living room!" Jaune said, cupping his hands around his mouth, his voice carrying through the house. He heard the rumbling that came with half-a-dozen pairs of feet pounding into the ground, all crowding in the room. "What is it Jaune?" they asked… well, at least some variant of that, all at roughly the same time.

He gave a small smile when he heard the doorbell ring. "That." he said, turning around and opening the door. He looked out, raising an eyebrow when he saw there was… no one. There was no one behind the door at all. He heard the footsteps, so he shut the door, clearing his throat. "I _said_ , _THAT!_ " he said, feeling his frustration growing slightly when he opened the door again, revealing Jasmine to _once again_ not be there. He nearly growled as he stepped outside, looking both directions for her. "Jasmine! That's your cue!" he whisper-yelled outside, hopefully beneath the hearing of his sisters and mother. He looked around for a few moments before he glared towards a nearby bush, hosting a Jasmine _dying_ of laughter. She walked over, still out of the view of the rest of the family. "Do it again, I'll be ready this time." she said.

He shut the door, sighing and rubbing the bridge of his nose before he turned, coughing into his hand. "Let's try this again… _THAT!_ " he yelled, pulling open the door. Sure enough, this time Jasmine was there, giving a faint smile and wave towards her family. There were about three seconds of stony silence, everyone digesting what had happened. After those three seconds though…

"Jasmine!"

"My baby's home!"

"You got home early!"

"Why didn't you tell us!?"

"What's it like in Haven!?"

"Woah woah! I _just_ got back, give me a second!" Jasmine said, unable to help from smiling at her younger sisters (and her mother) all with their arms wrapped around her. The girls all pulled back, Jaune walking over and patting his sister's shoulder. "It's good to have you back Jasmine." he said, giving a faint smile at the older girl. Jasmine returned it, wrapping her arm around her brother's neck, ruffling his hair with one hand. He struggled of course, but despite his own training, Jasmine's training _far_ outclassed his, making his struggle all but meaningless. "Great to _be_ back Jaune." she said, releasing her brother. He staggered back for a moment before leaning against the wall, smiling at her. Meanwhile, the two siblings brief moment was broken up by mama Arc walking through.

The two Arc women stared at each other for a moment before June leaned in, wrapping her arms around her daughter. Jasmine stood frozen for a brief moment before wrapping her arms back around her mother, a warm smile finding it's way to her face. Meanwhile, Jaune leaned back against the nearby wall, a smile breaking out on his own face at the display, his eyes winking green. After a minute June pulled back, smiling up at her daughter. "I'm sure you've got quite a few stories from Haven, don't you?" she asked, giving a small smirk as Jasmine looked away. She gave a shrug, a brief response muttered for only her mother to hear.

June pulled away, "Well, why don't you tell everyone about your time there while Jaune and I fix dinner?" she said. Jaune fought down the sigh that rose to his lips. It just _had_ to be his turn the day Jasmine came back from Haven, didn't it? He couldn't say he didn't _enjoy_ fixing dinner with his mother, but he hadn't seen Jasmine in _years_ , he fixed dinner at least once a _week_. The two of them walked into the kitchen, Jaune casually pulling his own apron around his waist and over his shoulders. June looked over at him for a moment before she started pulling out ingredients. "Did she ask?" she said, looking over her shoulder the second they were out of earshot.

Jaune nodded, "One of the first things she said." he knew what she was talking about. Jasmine's 'why do you look like a girl!?' line had been rather… expected. He'd hoped she'd recognize him (and briefly thought she _had_ ) but at the same time, he knew how much he'd changed. His mother slowly nodded, getting out a selection of vegetables as Jaune pulled the chicken from the fridge. He knew what they were fixing of course, his mother had told him that morning to prepare the meat. "How'd she take it?" June asked, chopping up the vegetables as normal. Now, when June had noticed her son _suddenly_ start looking like a girl, naturally she'd asked questions. Jaune, of course, hadn't told her about Mother of Lost. He didn't try to explain it, and his mother seemingly just assumed puberty had been _very_ unkind to him.

"Pretty well… she didn't know who I was at first but, she took it well once she got over the shock." he explained truthfully, chopping into the chicken as he did so. His mother nodded a few times, sweeping the vegetables into a few bowls as Jaune set the chicken on a nearby baking sheet, setting the oven to preheat. He leaned back against the island, his mother next to the stove with a faint smile on her face. "Does she know about the little girl?" she asked, eyes twinkling with something Jaune either couldn't or _wouldn't_ recognize. He turned away, his face tinged pink as he shook his head. He'd told Jasmine about a _lot_ of things since she'd left, a lot of his experiences with Mother of Lost… yet, the girl was something he'd conveniently left out of his letters, and something he tried to avoid talking about at all costs. "It wasn't _that_ bad…"

"Jaune, do I need to refresh your memory? Or would you like to explain how it wasn't 'that bad'."

"What wasn't 'that bad'... why are we saying 'that bad' like this?" Jasmine asked, walking through the kitchen door, quickly shutting it behind her. She looked like she'd welcome _any_ distraction, even if it was helping her mother _cook_ (a chill ran up Jasmine's spine as she thought of it). Her mother looked over, hints of a smirk flashing over her face before they settled back into a smile, patting a stool nearby. "Something Jaune 'forgot' to tell you… well dear, go ahead and refresh my memory. Don't worry, I'll get what you miss." she said. Jaune sighed… there was no way out of this, he could see it in his mother's eyes. So, he began the retelling… with his mother adding in _oh_ so helpful details here and there.

"It was about three years ago-" Jaune started.

"Two." his mother corrected.

"Anyway, I was heading into town to pick up some ingredients-" Jaune tried to explain.

"You were getting potting soil for Indigo's garden." his mother corrected again.

" _Right_. Anyway, I started walking towards the market when I… I…" Jaune had to take a breath to compose himself. "I saw this old guy beating a little girl with a beer bottle. I tried to stop him without hurting him-"

"You hugged the little girl, smashed his beer bottle against a wall and threatened to shove it up his ass if he got close." his mother corrected _again_.

"That didn't _hurt_ him! _Anyway_ , it turns out the guy had a few friends nearby too. They started coming at me with weapons and I… defended myself." he said.

"You mean you almost fatally stabbed two of them, broke six of another one's ribs, shot the first old man in the stomach and paralyzed the last one from the waist down."

" _ANYWAY!_ " Jaune yelled, glaring at his mother. He sighed, running a hand back through his hair, "The police showed up and tried to break up the fight. In the middle of it I… _may_ have gotten a _bit_ carried away…" he trailed off.

"The police had to shoot him with three bear tranquilizers to pull him one of the officers that tried to stop him." June explained.

Jaune's face was burning as he spoke, "So I… spent the night in a prison cell until mom came and brought me home."

"And you spent the next six _months_ on house arrest." she finished.

Jasmine looked between the two… "I've heard a _lot_ of crazy stories at Haven but… I think that tops them _all_." she said, unable to keep from smiling at her brother's oddly adorable blush. June walked over, wrapping her arms around Jaune, her head on his shoulder. Jaune only blushed deeper, burying his head into his hands as the two women giggled at him, a mortified groan slipping from his lips. "Whatever happened to the girl anyway?" Jasmine asked, leaning her head on her hand. If Jaune had gone through _that_ much trouble for a little girl, she hoped she'd at _least_ gotten something good out of it.

"Are you talking about me?"

All three eyes turned, Jaune and June both smiling as they saw the young, blonde girl walking toward them. She was dressed in a little blue dress, her eyes blue crystals as she looked to Jasmine. Jasmine looked at her brother, then back down at the little girl. " _Is she… maybe. I'll have to ask later._ " she thought, turning once again to face her brother. She saw his face light up, some of the blush disappearing as he leaned down, the girl leaping into his arms almost without hesitation. He lifted her up, hoisting her over his arm before smiling up at her. "How're you doing today Julie?" he asked. Julie didn't respond, rather moving her arms around Jaune's shoulders, hanging off of his outstretched arm and smiling up at him.

Meanwhile, Jasmine noticed just how pale the girl's skin was. Compared to Jaune, her skin looked almost a shade lighter… and was it her imagination, or were the hairs on Jaune's arms standing up near where she was touching? "Now Julie, Jaune and I are cooking right now. You know the rules…" June said, giving a smile at the playful girl. Though, both Jaune and Jasmine could see the stern nature of her eyes, the same way she always looked when giving orders. Julie pouted for a moment, a whimper slipping out as she dropped onto the ground, walking around the island toward Jasmine. The older girl looked down, unable to keep from smiling as she felt the child wrap her arms around her leg. "Can I climb you?" she asked.

"Hehe… sure kid." Jasmine said, her voice barely under her control as she felt the girl jump up, slowly shimmying up her leg. She could hear Jaune and June still talking, but as far as she was concerned they were a hundred miles away. It was like the little girl had stolen away her entire focus, keeping it on her as her hands reached her knee. It was during this climb that Jasmine noticed just how _cold_ her skin was. It felt like she'd just walked in from a winter blizzard, taken off her fluffy coat (she was _struggling_ not to squee at the image that brought to her mind) and started climbing her. As the girl got closer, Jasmine also noticed something else. It was small, hard to see, but it was _definitely_ there. Ice.

Little crystals of ice, formed on her hair. She saw a few fall to the ground, turning into water by the time they hit. Some dropped onto her jeans, disappearing into the fabric with her body-heat when they landed. " _Okay, SOMETHING about this girl isn't normal._ " she thought, watching as the girl pulled herself into her lap. She looked down, seeing the girl's head came just above her chest, Julie's head leaned on her shoulder. She fought down a yelp as a strand of Julie's hair fell down through her shirt, tickling her breast. It was _freezing_ , like sticking an ice-cube down her shirt. "Well Jasmine?" she heard. She hummed in response, looking up to see Jaune and her mother both looking at her. She felt Julie shift around, thankfully moving her hair back to where it was on her shoulders instead of down her shirt. "You've… been talking to me?" she asked.

"Yep." her mother and brother both said, both popping the P at the exact same time. Jasmine looked between them for a moment, debating on making a comment on how similar to the two were now before her thoughts were shattered by Julie. "EEP!" Jasmine yelped, unable to push it down this time. Julie had wrapped her arms around her, her hands casually laying near her hips. It was like walking through northern Anima without a _coat_! Julie moved her hands back, looking up at her. The little girl had an apologetic smile, "Sorry, my hands must be cold." she pulled her hands back into her lap, moving around so that only her clothes were touching Jasmine. The older huntress was grateful for this, finally able to focus on her mother and brother instead of the freezing cold little girl in her lap.

"I asked if you were staying the night." Jaune said, finally bringing the conversation back to her. Jasmine looked down at Julie, eyes trailing around the room, touching on her mother, brother, and her little sister that was trying (and failing) to sneak a peek from the nearby door without being noticed. "If you have room then, yeah, I can stay. My next mission isn't for another week." she said. She only noticed she was running her fingers down Julie's hair when she felt them going numb from the cold, at which point she set them aside. Jaune looked at his mother, who only nodded a few times, smiling at her daughter. "I hope you don't mind sharing a room like you used to." she explained.

Jasmine looked down, returning the smile that Julie was giving her, "It's fine. I don't think I'd mind sharing a room with this little cutie." she said, lightly tapping the girl's nose. Julie giggled, leaning against Jasmine's shoulder again, rubbing against her as she was a second ago. Jaune silently smiled at the scene: watching the little girl he'd saved getting along so well with the only sister (other than Saffron) she hadn't met yet made things _so_ much easier. "Why don't we head up there now? Julie and I can help you unpack." he said. Of course, the moment he'd _said_ it, he realized just how stupid it sounded. She'd walked here without _any_ luggage… at _all_ , and he expected her to need the help of _two_ people to unpack?

"Sure, just let me get my luggage." Jasmine said. She needed to talk to Jaune about Julie one way or another, and she had a feeling that he wanted to talk to her too. She stood, letting Julie move around to where she was carrying her before looking to Jaune, motioning him off to the side. Jaune gave his mother a nod, dashing to keep up with Jasmine as the two walked to the living room. Other than little Indigo (the one spying from the door who quickly ran away) the room was empty, everyone having gone back to what they were doing before Jasmine arrived. Jaune walked past the two women, heading towards the back of the house. "They finally got around to renovating huh?" Jasmine muttered, absently looking around. She noticed the changed wallpaper, the noticeably bigger house, and the fact there were _actually_ enough rooms for the many kids living there.

"Yeah, now we actually have six bedrooms instead of the three we had when you were still around." Jaune said, stopping near the back door. Just to the right of it, the words 'Jaune's room' were carved into the door, a touch his father had added to all their rooms. Of course, his _own_ personal touch was right beneath it, with the words 'Julie too' painted beneath it in blue. He opened the door, letting Jasmine carry said girl into the room. Julie jumped off Jasmine a moment later, dashing towards the bed in the corner of the room, flopping onto the bed face first. Jasmine turned her head, her eyes giving Jaune that all too familiar signal of 'we need to talk'. Jaune just nodded, leading the two out the door and to the backyard. "What did you want to know?" Jaune asked as soon as they were far enough out of earshot of the house.

"Is Julie from the Shroud, Diana?" she asked, thinking she'd sooner get the answer from a being that _lived_ in the shroud rather than Jaune, who was just a patron of her. Jaune's eyes flashed sea-green for a moment before Jaune shook his head. "Mother of Lost doesn't think so. She thinks she's harboring another Shroud patron, Khione. She says Khione's a snow spirit that was almost destroyed in a fight with Ares. She thinks Khione latched onto her soul and is using her as a sort of cloak to keep her hidden from the other patrons." he said, his voice completely his own. Maybe he'd just asked Mother of Lost? Maybe the two were starting to become linked enough that he could access some of her millennia worth of knowledge without her consent? Hard to say for certain, but at the very least Jasmine got what she wanted.

"So you don't think it's a problem having her here?" she asked. Jaune, of course, shook his head. He'd saved the little girl two years ago, and he'd practically been raising her ever since… with some help from his mother of course. Couldn't discount her role in it. "She's been here two years, nothing's happened. I've been a patron of Mother of Lost for four, and nothing's happened. We'll be fine… unless Julie's powers come in. Then we uh… we might have a problem." Jaune said, feeling his face pale slightly at the thought. If Khione, the snow deity of the shroud, were to awaken and suddenly give Julie power of the cold? That would be _much_ more difficult to hide than Mother of Lost's good nature, pacification and healing aura's.

"Wait… is her skin being really cold considered her powers coming in?" Jasmine asked, almost afraid of the answer. Just as she feared, Jaune slowly nodded, his eyes flashing green as he looked around. He was looking for something, something that Jasmine herself couldn't sense anywhere. She didn't know what it was, but she had the distinct, instinctual drive to _never. Find. out._ Whatever it was Jaune was searching for, she did _not_ want to see it with her own eyes, and _certainly_ didn't want to help him deal with it. Well, she wanted to _help_ her brother but, she _really_ didn't want to deal with whatever he was looking for. "What are you looking for?" Jasmine asked, against her better judgement. Her curiosity got the better of her when Jaune started looking around the house, lightly brushing aside plants and looking at the ground.

"Rips in the fabric of reality. Usually, when shroud beings come through, they'll be some kind of break. If a _lot_ of being's come through, they'll be a _lot_ of tears. If anyone was coming to hunt Khione and Julie, they'd have left their mark somewhere near the house." Jaune said, his voice that weird mix between his own and Mother of Lost's, one eye blue and one eye a green orb again. He turned back, a gasp leaving his throat. Jasmine walked over, somewhat afraid of what she'd see. She raised an eyebrow when she saw what Jaune was looking at. It seemed to be… a claw marking. A long claw marking, similar to that of a beowolf from what she'd seen in old pictures and on her travels. "Oh no… oh nonononononono this is bad, _very VERY_ bad!" Jaune said, standing up and pacing around a bit.

"What is it?" Jasmine asked. She had her weapons drawn now, her twin knives twirled into pistols as she scanned the treeline. She wasn't sure what the marking meant, and it was bad that she was _hoping_ it just meant a horde of grimm was coming. She could _handle_ grimm, she _knew_ grimm. She'd take a horde of grimm over some unknowable horror from the shroud any day of the week. Jaune slowly turned around, gazing around the treeline as well. "Ragnarok… he found us…" Jaune said, his voice entirely Mother of Lost's as his eyes turned brilliant green.

Suddenly there was nothing.

Jasmine couldn't hear what Mother of Lost/Jaune was saying. She couldn't feel the gun's in her hands, she couldn't hear the whistling of the wind. She could feel her heart stand still. She could feel the pressure on the back of her neck as she turned around, the eyes boring into her. She could sense the power, the fear, the bloody malice from something in those woods. Yet she felt her eyes glued ahead, her body refusing to move. It was as though her body _knew_ that running and fighting would get her killed, and thus the only option was to stand still and pray they wouldn't see her as a threat. Mother of Lost seemed to notice, eyes widening as they saw whatever it was Jasmine's eyes wouldn't let her see. She grabbed Jasmine's hand, yelling at her, dragging her towards the house as Jasmine's muscles loosened up, just enough to be lead along, but not enough to walk on her own. She saw Jaune dash in, grabbing Julie in his arms and her hand with one of his.

She felt the pressure get stronger and stronger as Jaune dashed into the living room, yelling out, calling something out. She saw her sister's, her mother, she saw them all suddenly dashing into the room, Jaune dashing towards the back room, his eyes suddenly changing to those of himself. She finally looked down, seeing Ora, Indigo, Lazuli, all of them gazing up at her, asking questions, eyes fearful and pleading with her to answer. Meanwhile, her mother held a blade at the ready, looking around for some sort of threat. She could feel it too, she could feel the power in the air, though unfortunately not to the same paralyzing degree as Jasmine could.

 ***Thump***

 ***Thump***

 ***Thump***

She heard it, and it took her a moment to realize what it was: A heartbeat. Yet, it wasn't her own heartbeat, her own she could feel pounding in her chest, despite the fact she heard no blood rushing in her ears. This one was slow, measured, calm. It was as though each heartbeat accompanied a footstep, each heartbeat getting louder as the being they originated from got closer. She slowly looked up, towards the nearby window. Outside everything was calm, everything was normal… yet in the reflection of the glass, just behind her, she could see a vague outline. Flashes of white here and there, vague impressions of a figure, but what really got her were the eyes.

Those beading. Red. Eyes.

She saw Lazuli suddenly fall backward, eyes gazing unblinking toward the ceiling. The Arc girls dashed to her, only to look up themselves, eyes suddenly gazing up at the being Jasmine saw only an impression of. She saw them fall back too, suddenly immobile. She saw her mother start crying, but no water flowed from her eyes. Blood flowed down her face, tears of blood dripping to the floor as her mouth opened wide. Jasmine heard no sound, but she knew her mother was screaming. She saw her drop her blade, taking out her kitchen knife and -to her horror- proceeded to gouge both her eyes out. She watched blue orbs roll onto the ground towards her feet, her mother falling back on the ground, screaming and holding her head. She saw Julie lean against her leg, looking up at her with frightened blue eyes. She slowly looked down, trying to focus on her so that she wouldn't suffer the same fate as her mother.

She saw Jaune walk back in, holding what looked to be a long, white blade with a blue-hilt, streaks of gold along the front. The heartbeat in her head got faster, the sound quieter as the presence seemed to retreat. She slowly looked up, eyes wide as she saw someone burst down the door. She'd never met the man before, the red-eyed man with the messy black hair. She'd never seen someone with a scythe quite like that one either, but she was _damn_ glad someone else was here. He was gazing behind her with an angry determination, yet there was no fear in his eyes. A touch of madness, perhaps, but no fear. She saw him dash ahead, yet she refused to let her eyes follow. She could not, and _would_ not look upon the beast that had driven her mother to do something as drastic as… _that_.

Suddenly there was a flash of light, sound returned, and she was hearing the screams. The horrible, _horrible_ screams of her mother's pain as she suddenly wished for silence again. She slowly turned her head, still unwilling to turn around as she walked over to her mother, seeing her clawing her nails at the carpet, pulling tufts of it up and into her ears to try and block something out. She felt a hand on her shoulder, the gentle grip of a pale hand that slowly reached her chin. "It's okay Jasmine… he's gone." she heard Jaune say. She slowly turned around, not sure if she believed him. She felt her hands shaking, her entire body threatening to collapse as her arms shot forward, pulling Jaune to her. She gripped tight, tighter than anything she'd ever gripped before because she knew… she knew that if she let go, she would shatter, and she wouldn't find it so easy to pull herself together.

She felt a hand on her back, a wave of calm washing over her as she saw Jaune's eyes suddenly gaze towards her, the blue replaced by a sea-foam green coat. She was guided to the floor, on her knees as tears started flowing down her face. She felt nothing. She could only see through blurry lenses that her little brother was there, hugging her, and that there was a tall huntsman behind him. "Are they…" Jaune trailed off, his voice his own despite his eyes. Even through the tears, Jasmine could still see the bright seafoam green, still feel that calming warmth wrapping around her despite his only pressure on her being his arms. She pulled him closer, closer, as close as she could to try and envelope herself in the warmth, try and forget what was around them.

"Catatonic. They were young, their minds just shut down for a while. Your mother… I'd say heal her but, she saw him. She'd just gouge her eyes out again. It's… it's best if I…" the man trailed off, Jaune's eyes turning from Jasmine to gaze at the older man. Jaune watched as the man pulled the scythe back into a sword, aiming what looked to be a barrel towards his mother. A part of him resisted, the irrational, child-like part of him wanted to keep his mother alive, no matter the cost… but the rational part of him, and Mother of Lost herself convinced him to nod. This wasn't murder after what she'd seen, it was _mercy_. Though, as soon as the older man squeezed on the trigger, he held out a hand, grabbing one of Jasmine's pistols. "No… she's my mother… I'll do it." he said, looking up at the man.

"Kid… you sure? You won't just forget it tomorrow… you'll carry that burden for the rest of your life. I speak from experience…" he trailed off, frowning down at the eyeless June. Jaune took a step towards her, his face set in a frown, tears slipping from his eyes as he held up the pistol, level with her head. He could hear the insane mutterings coming from her, see the shaking of her arms, the fear she no doubt felt. She didn't need eyes to show him how scared she was. "Sorry, mom… I love you." he shut his eyes.

 **BANG!**

He opened his eyes to darkness and the feeling of stiff cloth, the pistol still in his hand, unfired. "Sorry kid… there are some things you _don't_ need to carry with you." he heard the man say, his voice sounding both kind and oddly remorseful. He felt himself gently motioned out, the sounds of other feet shuffling telling him that he was getting Jasmine and Julie out with him. When the cloth was removed, Jaune looked around. He saw the outside of the house, the man carrying his sisters outside onto the ground. It was like he was carrying ragdolls, Lazuli and Ora both falling on top of each other. Indigo, on the other hand, seemed curled into a ball, looking straight ahead. He saw the man walk out, heading toward the back of the house.

He turned to Jasmine, finding that the cloth (dishtowel) that was pulled over his eyes was part of a set, each one tied around one of those awake. He reached over, untying both Jasmine and Julie's, both of them looking at him. If the calming aura Mother of Lost produced wasn't enough to calm the fear Julie felt, it was nowhere _near_ enough for the sheer dread and terror Jasmine was feeling. The older Arc sister slowly fell to her knees, looking up at Jaune. Jaune didn't hesitate to walk over to her, wrapping his arms around her as her head was buried into his belly. He could feel the wet sense on his chest, feel her cries vibrating through his being. He felt tears running down his own eyes as he looked up, seeing the Huntsman coming back around, dragging what looked like a gas can.

Jaune saw the flames beginning as the man walked back, tossing a match at the trail. Jaune saw the brilliant blue flames take a liking to their new home, igniting the drapes he and mom had spent so much time picking out, lighting the only home he'd ever known on fire. He felt the cold of Julie's flesh against his contrasted by the burning flame near him, ashes streaking his tearful face as the man walked toward him. "Was this my fault?" Jaune asked, unable to help himself. No matter how much Mother of Lost assured him, he wanted -no- _needed_ to hear someone else say it. The man shook his head, somewhat easing Jaune's nerves, giving him something to think about other than his mother's burning corpse in there. "He'd have found you eventually kid… whichever one you are. Here," he reached out, handing Jaune a small card. "Name's Qrow… don't tell anyone that. Call that number when you're just with people that saw what happened today." he said.

Then he dashed behind the house, a single crow flying out from behind as the whole thing collapsed into cinders.

…

 ***knock knock knock***

"Come in." Jonathan Arc said, raising an eyebrow as he saw what looked to be a police officer walking through his door. Already that set off alarm bells in his head. Why was he here? Had something happened? Was one of his kids in trouble? The officer walked ahead, a frown on his face as he took off his cap. "I'm… I'm sorry, Mr. Arc." he said. That settled it for him. Jonathan knew where this was going. He'd been friends with too many huntsmen and _lost_ too many huntsmen friends not to know what was going on. " _Stop. Just stop, please. I don't want to hear it. I don't want to know._ " he thought, but said nothing. He didn't want to find out, he didn't want to hear that Jasmine was dead on a mission, that Saffron had suffered an accident, that Jaune had been kidnapped like he'd been so afraid of all those years ago.

"What is it?" he asked, against his better judgement. He didn't want to know, but he couldn't _not_ know. He had to know, no matter how much he wanted not to. The officer wiped at his eyes for a moment before he sighed, "We had a call of gunshots coming from your neighborhood. Then there… there was a fire, at your house." he said. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. _Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop._ STOP! STOP! PLEASE! Jonathan didn't want to know, those words running through his head over and over again. He knew there was more, he knew someone hadn't made it. He didn't want to know who it was. Of course, the officer was going to tell him anyway. "Your wife she… she didn't make it. June… June's gone, Jonathan." the man said, his eyes suddenly very tired.

"That… that can't be. Nonono that's, that's impossible… she can't…" Jonathan bolted out the door, dashing past the officer, out of his classroom and through the halls of the small academy where so many of his children had gone. He thundered past meaningless names and faces, his eyes set on his home. He dashed out the academy, down the road as his eyes scanned the distance. He saw the smoke. He kept running, hoping against hope the officer was wrong, hoping against the odds that he was wrong and his wife was still alive. He pounded down the dirt road, he saw and heard the sirens, the water. He skidded to a halt at the base of the hill, thundering up it. He saw his children nearby, seemingly frozen in place with blankets over them, paramedics tending to them. He saw Jaune and Julie and Jasmine all sitting aside. He skidded to a halt in front of them.

"Jaune! What… what happened!?" he asked, looking at the smoldering ruins of his home. He slowly turned his head back to Jaune, watching as he held up his hand. He felt his heart sank when he noticed what was in Jaune's palm, in near perfect condition. It was a little thing, a golden band with a single diamond on it, the back engraved with the Arc family crest. On the inside though, _that_ was what made his heart sink. The phrase ' _June, will you marry me?_ ' engraved inside of it, where no one would see it if she was wearing it. Then he knew what Jaune was telling him. He knew what the officer was telling him. Shaky hands reached out, grabbing at the ring for a moment. He could hear the tears hitting the ground. He didn't care, _let them fall_. It was the ring he'd given to June almost thirty years ago. A ring she'd never taken off. That, more than anything, got him to face the truth. To look out at his house and start sobbing. His wife was gone. He wasn't dreaming, even his own mind couldn't be _this_ cruel to him. June wouldn't be walking out of the ashes. Because…

 _June. Was. Dead._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four: Leaving the nest

Jasmine didn't know how she'd ended up here.

She was in a small room, her brother and Julie sitting a few feet away on a nearby bed. Julie was asleep, leaning against his arm as he was typing on his scroll. She remembered leaving the hospital. She remembered taking her father's arm and guiding him away towards the town. She remembered comforting him as he did the same for her. She remembered the two of them getting absolutely plastered… then what? What had happened after her third drink? She didn't remember. She wasn't sure she _wanted_ to remember. All she knew was that Jaune was walking over to her, Julie was sleeping, and her head wanted to kill her.

"Are you awake?" he asked, his voice a whisper as his hands lay on her forehead. Jasmine nodded a few times, groaning as she sat up. Everything hurt, not just her head. How many drinks had she _had_? What had she done while she was drunk anyway? Jaune reached over, gently pushing the hungover Jasmine back down. He leaned in, almost unconsciously planting a kiss on her forehead. The second he did, Jasmine felt her mind slipping away. She felt her muscles relax, her pounding headache all but gone as she felt a wave of tiredness and calm wash over her. She shut her eyes almost on reflex, her breathing evening out. Yet she wasn't asleep. She could hear everything Jaune was doing, every word he was saying.

"Hello? Qrow?" Jaune asked, speaking into his scroll. He heard what sounded like some liquid (likely alcohol) splashing against something, a bottle breaking, before at long last something roughly grabbed the scroll and belched into it. "Who the hell is this?" he asked, his voice slurred and harsh. Jaune was suddenly glad he'd waited on Julie to fall asleep before making the call. "It's me, Jaune Arc? You told me to call this number yesterday afternoon." he said. He could hear the muttering, and could picture the look on the drunkard's face as the gears started turning in his mind… if he had much of a mind _left_ after all the alcohol that is.

"Oh uh… Jaune? Oh right, Mother of Lost's-" he belched again, "Champion. Where are ya? I'm supposed to… supposed to… what was it again!?" he asked, seemingly leaning away from the scroll to yell at someone else. It seemed the two people on the other end (Qrow and this mystery person) had the span of a full conversation while Jaune was waiting for Qrow to tell him what to do. When he finally returned, Jaune was two seconds from just ending the call and going to bed. Given it was two in the morning, he'd _very_ much like too. "Right right, thanks Oz. Sorry about that. Anyway, boss says he'll be coming to see you personally in the morning, at the train station. Just look for the old, gray-haired guy with the cane. Can't miss him." he said. Jaune would've asked more but… that was when Qrow decided to end the call before unceremoniously passing out in the bar he was currently at.

Jaune sighed, setting his scroll away. He leaned back, hearing his back popping, muscles tensing and untensing as he stretched. He was wide awake, but at the same time exhausted as can be. His body was refreshed and ready, but his mind drug along like it was in the drunken stupor his sister was in (though hopefully with more clothes on). He walked to Julie, effortlessly sliding into bed beside the freezing cold girl and letting his eyes fall shut. He felt her arms wrap around him, her face nuzzling against his arm as she clung to him. He pulled her closer, a smile on his face as he cracked his eyes open, wrapping his arm around her back. He felt his own body warming up in response to the cold on his skin, his flesh growing warmer as he leaned back.

" _We could very well be walking into a trap, Jaune._ " he heard Mother of Lost say in his head. He felt his smile shift into a frown as he slowly opened his eyes. The room he was in just a moment ago had faded away, replaced instead by the large, cylindrical room he'd first found Mother of Lost in. He was standing up now, Julie nowhere to be found. There was Mother of Lost herself standing there, easily twice his height. She looked just the same, having not changed her appearance in the last ten thousand years or so. He nodded, "What choice do we have? Besides, I have you, Khione, and Jasmine with me. We'll be fine." he said, giving her a reassuring smile.

She smiled right back, skidding across the floor and wrapping her arms around him. He didn't hesitate to reciprocate the gesture, burying his face in her shoulder as she lifted him up. "It doesn't help me from worrying about you Jaune. Promise me you'll be careful?" she said, frowning down at him. At that moment, Jaune could feel a stab of pain in his heart. He could hear echoes of his own mother's voice reverberating through hers. He could feel the love and care of a mother, one that hit a bit too close to home for him to ignore. He let a few tears slip down his cheeks as he nodded, forcing a smile up at her.

"I promise."

…

"Are you sure this is a good idea Jaune?"

Said Arc shook his head at Julie. He wasn't sure this was a good idea. In fact, he was almost certain this was a _terrible_ idea, but what choice did they have? His father was so hungover he could hardly _walk_ , his sister was _just_ hungover enough that her combat effectiveness would be down to almost nothing, and the only other sibling of his that _could_ help them (that being Saffron) was at the hospital tending to his catatonic siblings. He looked up, holding Julie close to him as he saw the train pulling into the station. He was wrapped up in a thin coat, fresh jeans replacing his bloody pants from before. His hoodie beneath among his favorites (that being a Pumpkin Pete's one he'd gotten from sending in box-tops).

As the crowd began flowing from the train, the noise washed over Jaune and Julie like a river. The two stood motionless rocks, silent against the overflow of noise and voices. A snapshot of shouting here, lovers reuniting there. Stories were everywhere at the station, but only one did Jaune and Julie care for: Their own. As the rest of the crowd slowly dispersed over the span of twenty minutes, Jaune easily figured out who he was looking for. Even if Qrow hadn't given him the 'gray-haired guy with a cane' hint, it wouldn't have been hard to figure out. Compared to all the young huntsmen and tourists that came pouring out of the train, the older man stuck out like a sore thumb. Not to mention the fact he was the last one off the train, casually leaning on his cane and against a pole.

The second his eyes met Jaune's, he started walking over to him. Jaune reached down, gently gripping Julie's hand as he forced a smile. The older man walked over, his own face set in a disarmingly neutral smile. "You're Jaune Arc, I presume?" he asked, voice thick with something Jaune didn't want to identify. Jaune held back his flinch from the man's intuition. Had Qrow told him what to expect? Or was he just as obvious as the older man was? He nodded, "That's my name." He hesitated to commit much more than that, eyes still looking around, Mother of Lost influencing him to search for any unknowable horrors the old man may have intentionally or unintentionally led right to them.

The man held out his hand, "Well Jaune Arc, I'm professor Ozpin, of Beacon Academy. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." Jaune shook his hand without hesitation. Something about the man both set him on edge and -at the same time- put him at ease. It was so strange, almost like mixing the powers of Ragnarok and Mother of Lost into a single being. They shouldn't have worked but, somehow they just _did_. Ozpin got on one knee a moment later, holding out his hand to Julie. "Now, I don't believe I know who you are. What's your name, little girl?" he asked, his voice and smile distinctly reminding Jaune of his now late grandfather. Julie slowly held out her hand. If Ozpin's strange vibe set Jaune on edge, it almost _petrified_ Julie. The little girl's motions were robotic as she shook his hand, gripping to Jaune's leg almost the second he let go.

Ozpin stood, a few inches taller than the Arc himself. He looked around for a moment, fingers tight on his cane as he pushed up his glasses. After a few moments, he finally turned back, giving Jaune a smile. "Let's head somewhere more private to talk. Fewer ears that could be listening in." he said, eyes flickering to a nearby man seemingly asleep on a bench. Jaune nodded, following Ozpin as he led them off the train station platform, heading deeper into the town. They walked through the busy marketplace, some men over on one corner shouting at one another over the price of beef while on another a street-brawl was happening. Ozpin ignored them all, briskly walking into a small bar near the edge of town. If Jaune was right, it was the same one his sister and father had gotten hammered in last night.

He walked to a table right next to the rear exit, pulling two chairs out for them. Jaune sat down, but Julie just sat in his lap, reaching over and gently sliding the other chair back. Ozpin only chuckled at the display, sitting down across from them. He felt Julie scrunch up on his lap, her head buried into his shoulder as she leaned down. "Bit of a clingy girl isn't she? Or, perhaps that's because what happened… my condolences, Mr. Arc. June-" Jaune had to resist from shouting at him, as if there was something so _wrong_ with Ozpin saying his mother's first name. "-was one of my best students. A shame what happened to her… but I suppose an old man's kind words won't ease the pain, will it?" he said, frowning at the two. Jaune could feel Julie's hands gripping tighter, teeth on edge as he heard the little tinks of frozen tears. She was _angry_ about something, hell so was _he_. He just couldn't understand _what_. _Why_ was he mad? _What_ about the old man was pissing him off so much!?

"Regardless… let me talk with _her_ , Jaune. Take a breather, as it were." he said, his eyes boring into Jaune's… right into Mother of Lost. Jaune shut those eyes for a moment, leaning back, relaxing a bit as he fell into that familiar state of observance, eyes flashing green as Mother of Lost took over. "What could you possibly want with my children?" she asked, her voice her own despite the body she shared. Julie looked up, raising an eyebrow as she saw a drunk patron… watching them. He was just… _watching_ them. He wasn't moving an inch, it barely looked like he was _breathing_. Sunglasses shrouded his eyes, but Julie could still _feel_ the crawling on her spine, under her skin, the way the man's eyes trailed along the two of them.

"I want to protect you, Diana. To keep you and Khione safe from Ragnarok. You know as well as I do what will happen if he destroys young Jaune…" he said… then Ozpin's eyes, at last, turned to Julie. He saw the girl's unflinching stare, traced her eyes to the fallen man. He held up a finger, slowly standing up and walking towards the only other patron in the bar. The bartender looked over, raising an eyebrow at Ozpin. He knew the man, of course, he'd known Ozpin since before he'd became headmaster -before he'd been a _huntsman_ even. Yet now… something was off. He only ever stood like _that_ if… silently, the bartender reached for the shotgun beneath the counter

"Sir? Are you awake?" Ozpin asked, slowly lifting his cane in front of the man's face. The man didn't move, but Julie could feel his eyes getting wider. The man was nervous now, even more so when Jaune turned around, looking over at the two. Ozpin leaned over, gently plucking the sunglasses from the man's face.

"Damnation…" the bartender whispered.

"Uh oh…" Julie muttered.

" _What the hell?_ " Jaune thought.

"As I thought…" Ozpin said. What they were all wondering and swearing at, of course, was the drunk man. More specifically, his eyes. Black, bulbous pits sat where eyes may have once been, dark orbs gazing out at the four observers. Knowing he was caught, the drunk leapt up, dashing for the exit. Ozpin was faster, his cane slamming into the man's stomach before a leg swept his feet from beneath him. The bartender sprang into action, leaping over the bar and aiming his shotgun at the man's head. He would've pulled the trigger had the drunk not sprung away. He bounced against the doors, a green barrier keeping him in. Black pits gazed over, narrowing on the outstretched hand of Jaune, the green of the barrier matching his eyes.

An inhuman screech flew from the man's lips as he leapt at Jaune. The bartender tried to help, firing a shot into the man. He blew open his side, his intestines, stomach, and other internal organs flying out. Yet he pushed on, even as his body began falling apart, the force behind the man's eyes sent him into an unstoppable frenzy. Time slowed as Jaune stepped back, Ozpin dashing towards him. The bartender had fired another round, but it would hit it's target far too late to stop it -if a simple shotgun even _could_ stop it. The creature was fast, but Khione was faster. Julie's eyes were icy blue crystals in an instant. Then, it got cold.

So.

Very.

 _Cold_.

The beast stopped in its tracks, falling over, frozen in place. Time seemed to return. Julie's eyes were back to normal. She fell against Jaune, sleeping. The bullet crashed against the frozen figure. Jaune looked down, eyes wide at the makeshift ice-sculpture. His mind struggled to register what had just happened, his mind couldn't comprehend it. To Ozpin and Mother of Lost, however, what happened was very clear. Khione had taken over, she had dropped the temperature around them so quickly the man's exposed blood and organs had frozen, all the water in his body held stiff. Jaune had felt the burn, the burn of the beginning stages of frostbite. His aura had protected him, but it could only do so much against the great cold. Khione had returned to dormancy, but that single act was all it took to drain Julie of her energy.

That was how fast Patrons could move. Blink, and you miss it.

Ozpin's heart slowed as he stood, looking at the two. In just a span of thirty seconds, everything had come unraveled. The Shroud beings that searched for Khione would know now. Perhaps not today. Perhaps not tomorrow, but they would know. Only two being's of the Shroud could cause death the way she just had, and one of them was imprisoned in the heart of a volcano. Jaune lifted Julie over his shoulder, turning back to Ozpin and the bartender. The man holding the smoking gun aimed it at the frozen corpse. "Should I shoot, Oz?" he asked, looking at the younger (not by _that_ much) man. Ozpin merely shook his head, walking over and casually slamming his cane on the figures head.

Nothing but shards remain. Little bits of ice torn to pieces. Khione hadn't taken any chances. She hadn't just frozen the man's heart and blood, but his entire _body_. Ozpin knew that. Ozpin knew what Khione had done, and he knew that the man was dead. Though there was never any harm in being certain, was there? He turned to Jaune and the sleeping Julie, "A watcher. They know you're in Mistral, Diana, or at least they know Khione is. They'll come for you. More powerful beasts will breach the veil to get you now that they know you're here." he said. Jaune looked at Julie, his eyes flashing green as Julie slumbered on. He looked back up, watching as Ozpin sat down next to him, laying his hand over his own. "Come with me, to Beacon. They won't be able to sense you within Beacon's walls, you can train your powers in peace. Please, Diana." he pleaded, holding out his hand.

Jaune took it. He didn't trust Ozpin, but Mother of Lost's memories told him he was right. He could be trusted… about this, at least. Ozpin let out a sigh of relief, tossing a few cards of lien at the bartender to cover the damage the watcher and himself had caused. The bartender gave a curt nod, setting his shotgun behind the bar, exchanging it for a broom. Sadly not the _weirdest_ thing to happen in his bar… maybe it was time to consider retirement. Ozpin dashed out the door, Jaune just barely keeping up with him as he cradled Julie in his arms. The three departed the bar in seconds, dashing back through town towards the hotel Jasmine and Jonathan were both sleeping off their hangovers in (or so Jaune thought, at least). As they entered the lobby, Ozpin quickly reached into his coat, throwing what looked to be a small card on the ground. It was a simple, blank piece of paper, one that flashed blue twice when Ozpin laid it down.

He picked it up, shoving it back in his coat with a curt nod before gesturing to Jaune. Jaune wasn't sure why… then he remembered that _he_ was the one staying at the hotel, and the professor likely had no idea what room he was staying in. He took the lead, heading for the staircase. Eyes gazed side to side, flicking at anyone that even looked _remotely_ suspicious. A random faunus? A baby pushed in a stroller? A little kid roaming around? Each got that look… though, Mother of Lost softened it a bit when gazing at the baby and the kid. He had to resist the urge to ask the child what they were doing. Instead, he pushed on to the stairwell, walking up the two floors he needed to before moving back into the hallway.

He felt Ozpin lay a hand on his shoulder, tossing that same, blank card on the ground again. Again, it flashed blue twice. Again, he picked it back up and nodded to Jaune. Jaune turned -more than a little suspicious- before opening the door to his room. He saw Jasmine still lying there, sleeping off her hangover. He saw his father had finally arrived as well, laying back on the floor with a beer bottle in his hand. Jaune frowned at the sight, Ozpin shutting and locking the door behind them before finally noticing. "Jonathan… here I'd thought you'd given up the bottle." he muttered. Jaune raised an eyebrow… had his father been a drunkard before? His mother _did_ complain when her father would go on missions alone… was he a recovering alcoholic that had just managed to hide it all these years?

Jaune turned to Ozpin, tearing his eyes and thoughts from his father to the question he'd wanted to ask. "What's with that paper card you keep throwing down anyway?" he asked. Ozpin turned, seemingly just realizing that Jaune was talking to him. He ran a hand back through his hair, pulling out said card and tossing it to the ground. Again, it flashed blue twice. "Detection. Every flash is a creature of The Shroud. The color is what _kind_. Blue are friendly to humans, gray are docile, and red are hostile." he said, picking it up and shoving it in his coat once again. Jaune nodded… made sense. If there were deadly beings coming to kill you you'd _probably_ want to know it wouldn't you?

Ozpin walked to the center of the room, turning around and facing the two Champions. "If the two of you want to come to Beacon, gather your things and meet me at the train station in three hours. I'll explain things to the rest of your family, don't worry." he said, smiling at them. Then… he just walked away. Right out the door and down the hall to the exit. Jaune turned to face Julie, the two of them frowning as they turned to face the sleeping Arc's. Jaune walked to his father, planting a small kiss on his forehead. Julie copied him, doing the same to the adopted father she'd known only a few years. She struggled not to gag on the scent he was emitting. Neither knew the truth. Neither knew how much they should've savored it.

They didn't know it was the last time they'd ever meet face-to-face.

Next, the two walked to Jasmine. The girl Julie had met for only a day. A day of disaster, tragedy, revelations, and death. Yet still, she could feel nothing for the girl but empathy. Julie had known June Arc. She had been raised by her when Jaune wasn't the one doing it, and she'd been a good mother by every standard she could imagine. What she _couldn't_ imagine was how it felt for her. Her mother, who she'd known all her life, such a strong figure and no doubt role model -gone. Vanished like a vapor. She planted a kiss on Jasmine's cheek, a little blue imprint on her skin for a few seconds before heating back up. To Julie, it was saying goodbye to a new friend. Someone she'd wished she'd known more.

To Jaune? It was losing his mother all over again.

Better, of course, since he knew she'd still be alive but… he couldn't shake that feeling. The feeling that when he saw Jasmine again, nothing would be the same. That special spark that the two had when he'd shared his secret of being a champion with her? When the two had done so much together, even _before_ that day? How he'd always looked up to her, and how he'd always gone along with her almost no matter what? That wouldn't be there. The spark would fade and die without the two of them together -of that he was near certain. It was as if he'd given Jasmine a part of him, and he'd never be the same if he left her behind. He'd known this day would come of course. When she left home -when _he_ left home…

" _Time… I want time… I don't have it._ "

It was funny -in a sick, twisted, cruel sort of way. Just a few days ago he was counting the _hours_ until Jasmine came back, wishing for it to come faster so he could see her again. Before that, he was wishing for time to speed up so he could get through his tests at school. All his life it seemed as though he wanted to speed things up. Wanted to grow up, wanted to become a huntsman, wanted to help people in ways a 14-year-old couldn't. He'd wanted time to go faster… now he'd give _anything_ to turn it back. To savor those years with his mother more, to savor the time he had with his sister. He felt a few tears sliding down his face as he leaned in, wrapping his arms around Jasmine, nuzzling against her shoulder.

He nearly yelped when he felt her wrap her arms around him. He pulled away, seeing Jasmine's face a few inches from his own. "You're leaving, aren't you?" she'd heard everything. Everything Ozpin had said, she'd heard. Everything they'd done since they walked in the room, she'd heard. In some part of his mind, Jaune had probably figured that out too. He nodded a few times, tears falling a bit, "Yes." his voice was shaky, cracking, just a few seconds from tears. Jasmine pulled him back into a hug, pulling as tight as she did when their mother died. She felt a few tears slip down her own face as she spoke. "I can't get you to stay, can I?" she asked.

"No." it was all Jaune could do to keep his voice steady. It wasn't so much he was sad to leave. It was fear. Fear of Jasmine dying when he wasn't there, fear of something else horrible happening when he was away. He didn't want Ragnarok to come after his family, but he couldn't keep an eye on them _and_ keep Ragnarok away, could he? He wasn't strong enough, even _with_ his blade that inexplicably terrified Shroud dwellers. Jasmine pulled back, hands holding Jaune's shoulders. Both blue-eyed Arc's were tearing up as Jasmine spoke. "Then promise me you'll be safe. That you… that you, won't… that you'll live." she shook the fear from her voice, eyes hardening.

"I promise." Jaune said, voice a high whisper. Suddenly he was a little kid again, gazing at Jasmine as he swore not to tell anyone her crush. He was that little kid playing house with her when none of her sisters' would. He was making the stupid joke to make her laugh when she broke up with the boy from earlier. He was healing her with Mother of Lost powers, he was calming her down in the middle of a fit, he saw every good moment he'd ever spent with her suddenly go through his head. "I love you." he said, tears running free. Jasmine leaned in, pressing her lips against his forehead. The two embraced again, Jaune struggling to hold back his sobbing, hiccuping into her shoulder. Jasmine let her tears flow over Jaune's shoulder, a small smile on her face. "I love you too… here," she placed a small book in his palm, "mom… she wanted you to have that when you were old enough. Read it on the way to Beacon, okay?" she said, still smiling at him. Jaune smiled back,

"I will."

…

"Ready to go?"

Jaune and Julie looked up at Ozpin. The man (along with Qrow) were both in the train, holding the doors open. The two walked in, unreadable expressions on their faces as they sat down across from the two older men, setting their suitcases beneath the seats. Jaune reached into his pocket as the train started moving, pulling out the little book. He opened to the first page, eyes widening a bit as he saw his mother's handwriting. He'd know it anywhere, that god-awful handwriting of hers that may as well have been a different language. He started reading, eyes tearing up as he did so. He could almost _feel_ the warm touch on his shoulder, sense the smile at him as he started reading. It wasn't until the near the last one that he started to cry in earnest. It read:

" _Dear Jaune,_

 _To think it's been ten years since you and Ora were born. I'm starting to feel like an old woman now you know. Saffron's actually talking about marrying (NO! MY BABY IS TOO YOUNG!) and Jasmine's already wanting to go off to Haven. Time flies -something you'll understand someday. I decided to write today because you told me your dream: To be a huntsman. I guess I shouldn't be surprised -you ARE your father's son- but I can't help but be afraid. I don't want any of my baby's getting hurt, ESPECIALLY out fighting grimm! I know I'm hard on you, and at this point, you're probably asking why. Why why why is mommy so strict with me and not Indigo? It's not just because she's younger Jaune, but because there's this SPARK in you._

 _I've seen it so much. When you play, when you talk, when you play with your baby sisters. You may not believe me when you read this, but I know you're going to grow up and do great things. Change the world. You'll be the greatest huntsman in the world, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise! Stand up for what you believe in Jaune, and stand up for people who can't stand up for themselves. You do that, and you'll be an even better huntsman than me. Better than your father, better than ANYONE! Even if I can't always be right by your side when you're out saving the world, know that I'll always be watching, protecting you any way I can. Just remember that no matter how hard on you I get, how difficult things seem, that Mommy always loves you._

 _Indigo's calling, I better go. Be good my little huntsman!_ "


End file.
